Notes from an Aquanaut
by Buddy1234
Summary: The diary recordings of an X-Com Aquanaut. See what truly happened to the base he was sent to, was he trying to protect it or unknowningly under forced manipulation?


_November 12__th__ 2041_

_My letter for transfer to an under-sea X-Com base has been accepted, I can hardly wait. I was picked out of a handful of my graduate class in my ROTC course in college, and now I finally get to see some action! Even though they say this is far more different then the first Alien War on earth, I can guarantee the objective is the same, seek and destroy. Hopefully I'm pushed to my limits within the first week, and not just hanging around my bed waiting for the call. _

_I also plan to record as much as I can, as often as I can in this new journal I bought. My next entry will be when I arrive at my assigned base, I hope it's in the arctic somewhere, I hear that's where the action's been the heaviest this year._

_November 20__th__ 2041_

_I FINALLY arrived at my assigned base, although it's in the Indian Ocean. The lieutenant wanted to address all the procedures and formalities tomorrow with all the new arrivals, which were me and two other recruits. They must be really smart though, it takes a lot to get recruited, unlike the rest of the bunch that get in through either already serving or ROTC like me. Upon my arrival I was also handed two standard issue pistols, one from the first alien war and one for the second contact war (this one). He said they had a miss ordered shipment and got a whole crate of the ones from the first alien war, and wanted to use them up as quickly as possible. We're to only use the first contact armaments for land based terror missions for obvious reasons._

_It's pretty damn creepy here. I was wandering the halls trying to find my living quarters and I swear I could hear a whale right above the base. Cabin Fever already? Ha, I just hope I don't go AWOL the first chance I get. On a more serious note, this place does seem to emit a strange tone to it, something that seems awfully foreboding. Probably just my psyche messing with me._

_November 21__st__ 2041_

_There was a mission earlier today; lieutenant was called out along with at least 9 other men. Even though there are 17 of us here, it seems pretty desolate. Wandered off to the firing range for an hour and they still aren't back yet, I'm beginning to fear the worst._

_They just arrived, only 20 minutes after my last entry although… There were only 7 of them._

_November 22nd 2041_

_I tried asking everyone who came back what happened out there and each of them gave me a wicked sort of glance. I wasn't trying to offend anyone but I think I should know considering I'm in the same boat as the rest of them._

_I mustered up enough courage to ask the lieutenant but he was surprisingly relaxed compared to the others, but also seemingly distant. I was asking him in the locker room while he was checking his gear and he didn't even look up, just said "Well, you know, you lose one you've lost'em all" and then began to mumble to himself. I'm lost in trying to translate that into anything that could explain even the remotest of reasons as to why he didn't seem to care that much about losing two men._

_November 25__rd__ 2041_

_It's been a long week here. I've seen men come and go, and for some odd reason the lieutenant never seems to select me for raids. The most I've done so far is go out to recover one of the downed USO's, I mean at least I'm doing something but I can't really seem to figure out why I never go out on any of the high priority missions._

_November 26__th__ 2041_

_We received a distress signal coming from another bases downed troop transport, I'm being sent out along with four other men. Judging by our group size I can already tell this mission is going to be nothing other than bringing back a few men to then be transferred back to their base. I still haven't used my jet harpoon yet, I look forward to using it soon._

_November 27__th __2041_

_I have no idea what happened. We went out to the location of the distress signal, about thirty thousand kilometer's from our base and as soon as we stepped out the sergeant looked around for a few seconds and suddenly yelled for everyone to go back into the craft. I'm almost positive we lost someone, but I didn't hear or see anything to justify that assumption, is my mind playing tricks on me?_

_November 30__th__ 2041_

_While looking out the port windows into the dark ocean I thought I saw something out there, moving around just beyond the lights illuminating the perimeter of the base. I'm almost positive I'm losing it now since our scanners would've notified us. Of a USO heading towards our base. But what if it didn't come by USO? No, that's impossible, it would've had to of swam hundreds, possibly thousands of miles from its landed ship to get here undetected, and even then it would either be exhausted or attacked by marine-life. _

_December 2__nd__ 2041_

_Our scientists managed to successfully finish gauss testing and now we are all being issued gauss rifles for all future missions starting tomorrow. From what I've seen, these "gauss" weapons have amazing firing rates and do remarkable damage with astonishing aimed accuracy. The pistols aren't as accurate, but the rifles, my god, I can't imagine anything that could stand up after getting blasted with it, I haven't even seen the gauss cannon but I'm almost afraid of witnessing what it's capable of!_

_December 4__th__ 2041_

_I'm back from my first raid on a landed USO! The ship was medium sized, and had two floors. It was very exciting, apart from losing another member. I hadn't known him that well, but I believe he was Japanese. He stupidly wandered out into the open too far and caught a stray shot from an alien's weaponry. It was horrifying in what it did to him; the point where he was shot seemed to slightly vibrate at first, right before a large section of his body seemed to just dissolve right off of him before my eyes. It appears their using some form of sonic weaponry. _

_I managed to score a hit on a large alien, it looked prehistoric practically, but my gauss rifle managed to tear open its rib cage in an almost explosive manner. I remained outside the large USO while one team scouted the perimeter and another infiltrated the USO to take out any remaining entities. I could hear a lot of action through our microphones, and at one point I could actually hear one of the things cry out. This will definitely be an experience I'll remember, and I'll also take note of what happens when you don't follow tactics…_

_December 6__th__ 2041_

_Today we suffered a tragic loss. The sergeant went out with a large group of Aquanauts to what they called, an "Artifact Site". I managed to get some details now that I knew everyone better, but they still were pretty battered over it. Apparently a creature came from their flanks and attacked the sergeant; he couldn't react quickly enough and was hit. After that they say he started attacking his fellow squad mates so they had to neutralize him. But… Something burst out of him, like in that one movie, only this thing they say, managed to grow to full size in a matter of seconds! Luckily someone was armed with a Gas Cannon and managed to splatter it as soon as it burst from him._

_December 7__th__ 2041_

_I was on routine perimeter check, looking for god knows what, but they say that it is more than possible for "them" to make it without a USO this far. Makes me shiver thinking about what I saw last month, and if it was really one of those things._

_December 8__th__ 2041_

_I'm starting to get worried, a full party was sent out earlier, armed with rocket launchers and gauss weapons, with the lieutenant saying that we "found a nest". I asked the supervisor sitting in the command center what this meant and he just sat there fiddling with future base layout plans and shipment orders._

_Someone finally told me what it meant; she said it meant we found a colony. I've already seen two different types of these beings, but she said "before I transferred here, I went on one of those… I was the unlucky one and was molecular controlled before we even entered. Although they were kind enough to just stun me and drag me onboard till it was over. I missed out on the whole thing, and by the time we were back, I was missing over half my squad with a shit load of alien artifacts." I don't know what kind of being is able to "molecular control" people, but I do not want to be like her and find out the hard way, I'll ask the lieutenant when he returns. Me and him seem to be on good terms with each other._

_December 9__th__ 2041_

_Oh god, the sub returned, but no one was in it! This has to be an automation malfunction with the sub! They ARE automatically piloted after all! I mean, it can't be possible, it just can't be! There were fourteen of them! And they ALL died? It just can't be! It can't! That only leaves three of us to guard the base, not including the scientists and technicians and the people located in the command center! I can only hope that new soldiers arrive within the next couple days, but judging by the weather conditions, it might not be until next week! It will just be me and the two other Aquanauts here till then…_

_December 10__th__ 2041_

_I know I saw something outside the base last night, I know I did, everyone else thinks I'm acting too paranoid about this whole ordeal, but I'll tell you, I'M NOT, THEY are the fools, there are only three of us, with only the low grade weaponry, since they took all the high grade armaments with them for the Colony mission. A hurricane is passing over in a couple days, all the scientists are being evacuated to ports in India till it subsides, with only the bare minimum amount of technicians staying and the entire command also leaving. It'll be a ghost ship here._

_December 11__th__ 2041_

_The hurricane arrived early, but everyone left already so I guess it doesn't matter. It's so quite. When I sit here and just listen I can hear the hulls of the base creak and moan like I never noticed before. I've talked with a few of the others, apparently that girl I talked to earlier has a relationship with that other guy since I could hear them knocking boots from the showers all the way to the damn sub pen, she moans loud as shit._

_December 13__th__ 2041_

_The storm hasn't subsided or moved since yesterday. I can't help but feel like it doesn't want to move, only to keep me down here longer, with no one else to converse with or play pool with. Which brings me to the topic of that lounge, which hasn't been keeping me too busy over the last few days just about the only thing for me to do is go to the lounge, the firing range or take perimeter walks around the outside of the base, which I have yet to do, I keep trying to dodge my shift but I'm going to have to do it tonight, I can't keep pushing it off from Brianne forever._

_December 14__th__ 2041_

_Storm still hasn't subsided and continues to hover over the same spot. I'd kill for a view of the sky and fresh air right now, and this base seems to become more and more claustrophobic to me the longer I stay here and the longer that storm rages topside. _

_December 16__th__ 2041_

_The hurricane has moved into port, so they still haven't managed to bring anyone back yet. At least I know it's not directly over us anymore, I just couldn't stand that feeling. Oh yea, Brianne's boyfriend went out on a perimeter walk a few minutes ago. I just know something is going to happen._

_December 17__th__ 2041_

_Damn it, I just have to be right. He hasn't reported in and now Brianne's gone out to look for him. I have little hope for either of them, Brianne for finding him, and Jeremy for being alive… Is that so cruel?_

_December 19__th__ 2041_

_Well, I'm alone now. No one here but me and a few technicians, I wonder what happened to Brianne and Jeremy. Probably dead, from what, who knows, right now my priority is to focus on Beethoven. I found a CD of him in one of the bunks of some of my former squad mates, along with some headphones and player. The way he combines poetry into his music purely through sound alone is just amazing._

_December 20__th__ 2041_

_I don't know how many times I've listened to this CD, maybe 20 times. I found myself humming the third symphony; I think one of the technicians heard me as he stopped in the doorway when walking by to listen for a moment. I plan on enjoying it again later tonight as well; it permeates a kind of tranquility into me I can't seem to match with anything else. I've also been asked about the other Aquanauts, Jeremy and Brianne. I casually told him that he would have to leave or I would be forced to strangle him to death due to my sanity being so low without my beloved Beethoven playing in my ear if I had to talk to him any longer or even again at all._

_December 21__st__ 2041_

_There are reports of everything clearing up and everyone will be back down here on the 23__rd__. They wanted me to report anything about the time gap between when they evac'd and now, but I didn't really have anything to report, at least nothing I really quite care about._

_December 22__nd__ 2041_

_I think I can hear the claws of something scraping against the hull of the base. I sent a technician out to see what it was but he said it was nothing. What if he's being molecular controlled? He'd be lying to me, jeopardizing the entire situation, I'm the only one of my team left, so that leaves me to make the orders and decide what's right. I believe he IS being molecular controlled and I WILL take care of the issue. Nothing will penetrate the steely heart of this pearl while I am down here. There's a reason why I'm the only survivor._

_December…_

_Don't know if it's still today or tomorrow yet, I took care of the technician. He wouldn't fess up so I had no other option then to try physical torture. I could see that mellow glare in his eyes. He was under their control; I had to make sure that he didn't cause me any trouble any longer. He lied about the things outside scraping the hull, and now he's lying about being controlled. I also had to take care of the other technician; he was breaking the pipes with his wrench so I had to shoot him to keep him from sabotaging the base._

_I'm all that's left now, just me against them. I'm going to set magna pack charges in the sub pens, the command center, and the lab's. Port said they were on their way when I told them about the technicians being controlled, but I fear they won't make it in time, I can hear their claws, the sound growing, getting louder, and piercing the walls of my precious home. Well, they won't get me or the information from this base. _

_I can see the shadows of them approaching outside growing, their massive, at least a few dozen feet long, I'm going to put this journal inside a lock box and detonate the charges now…_


End file.
